Children of the Shadows: The New Ones
by Kara
Summary: Part of "Children of the Shadows" pre-series: 2003. For the first time, all the X-5s are together.


Children of the Shadows: The New Ones  
By Kara (anyalindir@aol.com)  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue, I'm not making a profit here.  
Spoilers: None, pre-series  
Rating: PG  
Summary: Part of the "Children of the Shadows" pre-series. For the first time, all the X-5s are together…  
A/N: Thanks to those of you who pointed out that I had Zack's age wrong. Gahhh...look for rewrites of the other "Children of the Shadows" series in the future, with his age corrected...  
  
Quick Barcode Reference (including ones I made up g):  
  
5599-Zack  
5452-Max  
5338-Jondy  
5656-Tinga  
5493-Ben  
5231-Krit  
5734-Brin  
  
2003  
  
X-5599 could remember a lot, but he could never figure out just how far back the memories went. He remembered looking out from behind wooden bars at seven others, and the sound of crying. Sometimes he swore he even remembered a dark, warm place where there were no words, because he didn't need any. A flash of light, and sudden cold had broken that darkness, and the sound of someone crying as he was carried away…  
  
Every day faded into the next-long talks with the tall man called Kernal, jumping and running inside and outside with the trainers, nights on his pallet, the watchers sitting behind the glass wall… He knew he was X-5599, and that he was the oldest, and because he was oldest, he had to watch out for the others. He was See Oh Commanding Officer, and he was the one that the youngers always came to when they cried, because he didn't hit them the way the Adults did-the way he was sposed to.  
  
There was always one day that he remembered clearly-the day the New Ones came. It happened twice before, when eight smaller youngers started training with them. Kernal taught X-5599 to count them each morning when they woke up, and before lights' out at night. He was responsible for them, for knowing their Bar Codes and their location. Today, the last set of New Ones were coming, and the squadron would be complete.  
  
They were small--so small that they still probably took naps after the noon meal. Their legs probably wouldn't touch the ground when they sat at the table in the mess hall. The new ones looked like all the others--blue smock and no shoes, cause there weren't any boots small enough for their feet. X-5599 wiggled his toes in his boots with satisfaction, knowing he was finally big enough for something.  
  
"X-5599!"  
  
He snapped to attention. "Sir, yessir!" he shouted, just like he was taught.  
  
Kernal motioned for him to step forward. "These are the new additions to your squadron. They're your brothers and sisters. Watch over them, X-5599. They're your responsibility."  
  
He nodded, puzzling over the meaning of the new words. He knew squadron, because that was their group, all of the youngers who were X-5s. Responsibility was what he had to do, as See Oh Commanding Officer, the way Kernal was responsible for the X-5s. Brothers and sisters were new words though. He'd have to ask X-5656 or X-5493 later. They could always figure out new words.  
  
Kernal called out the Bar Code of each New One, making sure they all memorized the numbers. The three smallest at the end hunched together, not in the straight line they were supposed to be in. Two of them looked almost exactly alike, dark ones like X-5656 and X-5734. Kernal seemed to like dark ones better, because they had natural camouflage.  
  
"X-5338!"   
  
The sixth New One stepped forward. X-5338's eyes were blue, like his. They blazed as X-5338 shouted out in the biggest voice possible, "Sir, yessir!" Small and smaller. This one was tiny, but all soldiers grew bigger, even little ones. There was something that X-5599 liked about this soldier, something that said X-5338 would fight to the end.  
  
"X-5231!" The taller dark one stepped forward.  
  
"Sir, yessir!" This one's voice was deeper than X-5338's, but not as loud. X-5231 didn't seem as confident as the blue-eyed New One was. Out of the corner of his eye, X-5599 caught one of the others flashing a smile at this one. That made X-5231 stand up a little straighter as he snapped a quick salute at X-5599 and Kernal.  
  
"X-5452!" Kernal's eyes seemed to brighten a little as the last one stepped forward. This one was smaller than the other dark one, but not as small as X-5338.  
  
"Sir, yessir!" The New One's voice was small, small as X-5338's, but X-5599 knew somehow that this one would be a good soldier.   
  
"What's your full Bar Code, X-5452?"  
  
X-5452's dark eyes blinked quickly, like the soldier hadn't expected this question. "332960073452, sir!"  
  
Kernal turned to him. "Her Bar Code, X-5599?"  
  
He promptly repeated it. X-5599 was surprised when Kernal smiled at both of them. The smile was quick, but he knew that X-5452 saw it too.  
  
"Pay attention, soldiers." X-5599 couldn't help puffing out his chest with pride as all the other youngers automatically fell into "at ease" position, legs spread, hands clasped behind their backs. "This is your complete squadron, your family. These are your brothers and sisters. Do you know what 'family' is?"  
  
X-5599 could almost feel the panic behind him. Finally he heard a voice speak up, X-5656's soft one. "Permission to answer, sir."  
  
Kernal nodded.  
  
X-5656 was one of the oldest, like he was. X-5656 knew answers to a lot of questions, and Kernal seemed to like that. But X-5656 hesitated before speaking now, something that you should never do in front of the Kernal. "Family is our responsibility, sir. It's our squadron and the ones we have to work with on objectives."  
  
Kernal nodded again, satisfied. "Family is the group of people that you depend on. As soldiers, they're responsible for your lives. Your brothers and sisters are your fellow soldiers, the members of your family. You have a Commanding Officer to watch out for you, like X-5599 does, and you have individual responsibilities to work together as a unit, so that no one gets hurt. What's your responsibility?"  
  
"To your family!" X-5599 shouted with the older ones. He couldn't hear the youngers' voices.  
  
From the look on his face, neither could Kernal. "I said, what's your responsibility, X-5s!" Kernal barked.  
  
"To your family!" This time, X-5599 was sure he heard thirty-one other voices.   
  
"Take them back to the barracks, X-5599." And Kernal walked out the classroom door, leaving a stunned X-5599 behind him.  
  
"Line up, X-5s!" X-5599 barked, the same way that Kernal did. The older ones all immediately fell into two lines, while the youngers held back, not sure of what to do. "Two lines, soldiers," he repeated in a gentler voice. Sometimes, he remembered what it was like to be that small and that afraid. Kernal was nicer now than he had been then. He didn't hit as much, leaving the punishments and the rewards to X-5599, since that was a See Oh Commanding Officer's duty. X-5599 didn't like that part of the duty though. He didn't want to hurt the youngers, just because they haven't learned yet.  
  
"Permission to speak, sir!" X-5452 raised her hand. Her, Kernal had called the smallest New One. That probably meant something.  
  
He nodded. "Permission granted."  
  
X-5452 stepped forward. "What are brothers and sisters, sir?" This one was smart--maybe too smart. But X-5452's dark eyes were curious, not up to something the way the others could be sometimes. Smart ass, one of the guards called it once.  
  
X-5599 resisted the urge to chew on his thumb the way he used to when he was puzzled. Instead, he chewed on the inside of his lip, hoping that the other wouldn't notice his hesitation. As Oldest, he had to know everything and have answers. If he didn't have answers, he would look weak, and then he wouldn't have the control over his squadron.  
  
But he couldn't lie to X-5452. There was something about the soldier--about her--and how X-5452 didn't wear the soldier mask yet that everyone else did. "I don't know. Kernal hasn't explained it yet."  
  
"Can we ask him?" X-5338 spoke up without permission. X-5599 wondered if this soldier did that a lot. He would have to teach X-5338 different.  
  
"No questions. Questions aren't allowed unless Kernal asks if we have any." X-5656 answered for him, dark eyes looking almost afraid. X-5656 didn't like Kernal. Kernal hit this soldier a few times, and X-5599 had hated Kernal in those moments…  
  
"We're brothers and sisters. We're a squadron. Family," he said finally. "Family means we stay together and work together so that we survive together. Nothing's more important than us to each other." X-5599 pointed to one of the New Ones. "X-5863, who's your brother and sister?"  
  
The soldier snapped a salute. "X-5493, sir!"  
  
"X-5656, who's your brother and sister?"   
  
X-5656 paused for a moment, dark eyes thinking. "X-5452 is my brother and X-5599 is my sister, sir. Maybe brothers and sisters are different types of soldiers, like Commanding Officer and Private." X-5656 was good for thinking of things like that. If X-5599 felt brave, he might ask Kernal about it later, or one of the Watchers. They answered questions sometimes.  
  
He nodded. "Good answer, X-5656. You can lead one line." He pointed to X-5452. "You lead the other, soldier." The dark New One nodded. "Two lines, X-5s!" he barked again, and was pleased when his squadron automatically formed two lines, just like he asked. Straight lines, lines that even Kernal couldn't find a fault with.  
  
As they marched down the corridors, X-5599 couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. Even though they were small, their footsteps echoed through the hallways as if they were a lot bigger. Other soldiers stopped and watched them as they passed, and for once, the olders didn't make any remarks or yell at them.   
  
When they arrived at the showers, X-5599 herded them all into the changing room. X-5656 and X-5493 showed the New Ones how to take off their smocks and leave them in the cubbies. Then, he herded them all into the shower room and showed them the quick way to soap up and rinse off.   
  
"But our smocks," one of the New Ones protested. "Kernal said we had to wear those smocks."  
  
X-5599 felt very wise, forgetting that he'd once felt the same fear. "The Watchers replace our smocks in the cubbies. You'll have something to wear after showers, I promise."   
  
The New One nodded, lower lip quivering. They were still so small and so young. And there were more now too. How could he ever keep track of all of them?  
  
Showers done, the New Ones tried not to look too relieved that there were replacement smocks in the cubbies. Smocks meant time for Lights Out, so there was no more training for today. Kernal came in once they were all dressed and led them back to the sleeping room. When they were bigger, Kernal said they'd move to the barracks, like the olders did, with no Watchers during the night. When they were bigger…  
  
X-5599 quickly pointed out the seven new pallets to the New Ones. X-5452 and X-5338 took ones right next to each other, a couple over from his. All the New Ones were placed near him, so that he could watch over them their first few nights. He couldn't remember anyone watching over him his first few nights on the pallets, but that didn't mean there wasn't a See Oh Commanding Officer watching over him somewhere.  
  
"Lights out, X-5s. You sleep from the time the lights go out until the moment the lights go on, no longer, no shorter," Kernal said, standing near the door. "Understood?"  
  
"Sir, yessir!" thirty-two voices answered promptly. At least the New Ones were learning fast.  
  
They laid down on their pallets, and the lights went out, just like they did every night. He heard some whispering, but not too much. X-5599 even thought he heard the sound of crying once, a few pallets down. They were babies still, but he wasn't too worried. X-5452 would make a good soldier someday. They all would. Someday he'd show them all. Someday, his squadron would be the best X-squadron of all of them, the best soldiers who always took care of each other.  
  
  
  
  



End file.
